Home
by The-Lady-Isis
Summary: Curious about the world Jake has left behind, Neytiri asks him about it. She is not prepared for the bleak truth about the damage that has been inflicted upon Earth. Upon the humans' own Eywa. Disclaimer: I don't own the movie or characters.


**A/N: Dedicated to Perentie Fan - I hope this is more to your liking :)**

**Home**

"Hey."

I looked up, smiling at Jake's greeting. It seemed very odd for such. Short. Still, I liked it. It suited him. It was very...human. I schooled my expression into disapproval. Much though I found some of his mannerisms charming, I was to be educating him in the ways of the Na'vi.

I stood, made the gesture. "I See you."

His eyes widened momentarily - they did when he was required to find words in my language. They stayed wide for less and less time each day though. It was becoming more natural to him.

"Oe-l nga-ti kame," he said.

I always enjoyed this moment each morning. When his smile was a little hopeful. A little of the student asking a favourite teacher for her approval. When I gave it, he always lit up, just a tiny bit. Smile turned from hesitant to unfettered glee.

"Very good."

If he were a child, he would have clapped his hands together. Instead with an easy motion, he flopped down beside me, his body full of the unconscious grace of the People. Unlike most of us, he was unaware of it. Tsu'Tey laughed at him because of it. Because Jake didn't know how beautiful he was. To my mind, that was only cause for admiration. Or more admiration, in my case.

"So what's today's lesson?"

I twisted my mouth. Truthfully, it was hunting. I'd planned to take him out beyond Tranquil Lake — he wouldn't be ready for his ikran until his first kill, but our people ate the swimmers too. And catching them was a test of patience, sometimes even more than skill. And patience was definitely something that Jake needed to learn. He was getting better, I could not deny that, but he still had far to go. Fishing seemed to be a good exercise for today. But there was a question I wished to ask him first.

"Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"What is your home like?"

He was silent for a long time. So long that I feared I had offended him somehow. "Is it painful, to speak of?"

He shook his head slowly. "No…and yes, at the same time."

I tilted my head inquisitively, my hair falling over my shoulder. "How so?"

"It wasn't, before coming here. I lost my brother, just before I signed on to come to Pandora. My twin," he added.

I tried to understand his tone; couldn't. Then I realised why I couldn't understand him. It was because there was no feeling in it. No emotion. That was totally alien to me, to the Omaticaya. If something meant nothing, one simply did not say anything about it. What was it hiding? When he looked at me directly, I knew at once. Grief. It was hiding a grief that he had not let go of. How strange, to bury it. To hold to it must cause him so much pain — half his soul had been torn from him. How could he bear to let the wound fester?

Humans. I would never understand them.

"How did he die?"

"He was mugged."

I frowned, not understanding the term. Jake saw it, hastened to explain. "It means…he was murdered because someone wanted to steal his money."

I knew vaguely what money was, or at least what it meant to the humans. It meant wealth. It meant that, with it, one human was somehow better than another. Some, I'd heard, had more than they would ever spend in a lifetime. What was the point of such wealth? It was…laughable. It did not make sense. And to take life because of it?

I took Jake's hand. "I grieve for your grief."

"Thanks," he replied, no longer looking at me and without letting go of my fingers. "But anyway, that's one reason why it's painful to talk about Earth. The only reason, really." He scratched absently at the back of his neck. "To be honest, Neytiri…there's really nothing about it I _want_ to remember."

"But it was your birthplace."

"Yeah," he admitted, still shrugging. "Okay. Earth is… Well, once it was like this, I guess," he started, gesturing to the forest around us. "Green and in balance and..."

I smiled, following his gaze. I loved my home, more than anything. There was nothing better anywhere in the universe, I was sure of that. "Perfect," I supplied.

He shot me the white flash of a grin. "Perfect. Or it was before people, anyway. I don't remember it ever being like that — no human does — but it must have been once."

I frowned. "I don't understand. If it was so beautiful, why didn't you take care of it? Didn't you heed your own Eywa?"

"No," he said frankly. "Maybe some of us did, but the majority…" He sighed, putting his hand out as a seed of the sacred tree floated down to land on it. I held my breath as its tendrils caressed his skin for a moment before it floated away. Jake watched it go, and I bit my lip to keep the grin inside. I was right, I was right, I was right…! I knew I had been, of course, but Tsu'Tey's taunts had been wearing.

When Jake looked back at me, I realised how mournful his gaze was. "It's grey. The entire planet. It's concrete and metal and smog and dust and…ash."

I shivered. It sounded so desolate, and Jake's tone was just as bleak as the landscape he was describing. "But what about your trees?"

"We cut them down. As soon as you create artificial atmospheric shells, no need for trees anymore. After that they're just taking up living space, or good industrial land is being wasted-" He cut himself off with a sad sigh. "I've heard there are sanctuaries, secret places where green still exists. But as far I've seen, it's barren. And now that Tommy's gone there's nothing there at all."

I touched his arm in an attempt to draw him from his dark thoughts. "Then stay here."

At my words, the sun dawned on his face. The joy in his eyes was wild, instant and a marvel to look at. It made me smile reflexively in return. A glance at the sun, though, told me how much of the day had run away already. I stood. "Come. We should start today's instruction."

I'd only gone ten paces before his touch on my hand stopped me. "Neytiri."

Not trusting myself to look at him when he was so close to me, I only stilled. "Yes?"

"Thank you."

I did look at him then, and without my permission, my hand touched his face gently. I spoke slowly, hoping he would understand the nuances of my meaning. "You are most welcome."

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**A/N: Review please!**


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